Police blotter, March 31, 3103

Friday

An Evans man was arrested Thursday after test results showed he was intoxicated while driving at the time of a March 2 wreck that killed his passenger.

Christopher Joseph San Miguel, 27, surrendered to authorities Thursday and was charged with vehicular homicide, driving under the influence, driving too fast for conditions and failure to maintain lane, according to Columbia County sheriff's Capt. Steve Morris.

Alaina Kensinger, 28, of Martinez, died as a result of injuries she sustained in the wreck on Interstate 20 near the weigh station.

Test results received from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Wednesday showed that San Miguel's blood alcohol concentration was 0.165, more than double the legal limit, at the time of the crash, according to Morris.

San Miguel was driving east on I-20 about 4:30 a.m. and is believed to have fallen asleep. The vehicle drifted off the right side of the road, turned sideways and hit a guardrail, then a metal sign pole. Witnesses told deputies that San Miguels' vehicle was traveling at high speed before the crash. He and Kensinger were wearing seat belts.

Kensinger died a few hours later at Georgia Regional Medical Center.

San Miguel was released from the Columbia County Detention Center after posting a $13,400 bond, according to jailers.

The following accounts were taken from reports from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office:

Grovetown High student pepper-sprayed

A school system safety officer pepper-sprayed a Grovetown High School student after she fought with him Tuesday.

The school safety officer was asked to help with an unruly student in a classroom about 2:30 p.m. The student told an assistant principal to stay away and walked out of the class. The assistant principal and the officer told the girl to go to the office, but she said she wanted to go home and went to her locker.

The student eventually went to the office and called her mother. As the student left, the officer caught up with her, asked her to return to the office and took her arm to guide her back.

The student snatched her arm away and became irate. The officer told her repeatedly to calm down or he'd spray her. The student then swung at the officer and they fought until he pepper-sprayed her. The student was taken to the officer and treated.

The officer's uniform was damaged during the scuffle.

Because the juvenile detention center was full, the student was released to her parents and told when to report to Columbia County Juvenile Court.

Vehicle illegally repossessed at repair shop

Employees of an Augusta recovery service repossessed a vehicle from a Martinez repair shop after being told not to be on the property.

A supervisor at Butler Automotive on Baston Road told deputies Tuesday that after telling a tow truck driver not to be on the property, others returned and took a vehicle from the fenced storage area. The supervisor said a man claiming he was hired by Title Max to repossess a 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix went into the business about 10 a.m. He said he couldn't repossess the car because of outstanding charges and he wasn't welcome on the property. The man left in a white tow truck.

A short time later, the supervisor said, a white tow truck went into the fenced lot and towed the Pontiac away. A sheriff's captain found the tow truck on Washington Road near Interstate 20. One of the two men inside the truck said he was the owner of a recovery service hired by Title Max to repossess the car. He admitted he and his partner went into the fenced lot without permission and said the truck belonged to the man who went into Butler Automotive earlier.

A Columbia County magistrate judge said that the men trespassed on private property and that the repossession was illegal because the recovery service was previously warned not to be on the business property. The tow truck operators voluntarily left the vehicle at the repair shop and said they wouldn't return until the issue is resolved.

Man scammed by fake e-mail

An Evans man said someone used a fake e-mail from his bank to steal more than $6,000 from him.

He told deputies Monday someone stole money from his bank account using his information obtained through a fraudulent e-mail. He said he got an e-mail March 14 that appeared to be from his bank. It said someone tried to access his account with the wrong user name and password. The e-mail contained a form where he input his bank account number, user name, password and Social Security number.

The next day, he discovered $5,761 from his savings account had been sent to an account under the name of a woman he didn't recognize. On March 18, someone used $436.80 from the man's checking account to pay for an advertisement in The Washington Post. An additional $50 paid for an order for The Washington Post or Newsweek.

Trespasser in Evans reported

An Evans man called authorities late Monday after seeing a man run from his neighbor's home.

The resident said that at about 11 p.m., he heard a noise coming from his neighbor's home. He turned on a floodlight and saw a man running from his neighbor's front yard to a red box-style van that sped away.

The man's neighbor told deputies nothing was missing but the gate to the backyard was open. The woman said she was concerned the man could be a peeping Tom because her daughter's room is on the back side of the house.

Teen receives obscene texts

A Grovetown teen told deputies Tuesday that someone sent her an obscene text message.

The 18-year-old girl said she received text messages from a man throughout the day Monday. When she realized she didn't know the sender, she stopped communicating with him.

She said the man continued to send texts, including one showing male genitalia.

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